A chance for voters to undo 2015 error

THE EDITOR: On Monday voters have a chance to undo the error made five years ago, when the majority made a collective error to replace the People’s Partnership with a PNM government.

My reason for the suggested reversal is that based on a meritocratic system the PP (UNC) should have been rehired for a second term to continue the protracted social and infrastructural development it started in 2010. Its successes were well documented and are visible up to today.

One may argue that changing administrations every five years is a plus as complacency has unproductive consequences. However, in TT’s case, whenever a solid development foundation is laid, disrupting continuity produces an unfavourable result in the cost-benefit configuration.

Indeed, assuming TT needs to compare one administration with another, consecutive terms would lay the groundwork for a more meaningful comparison. After all, the PNM has been in charge of the economy for 48 years, with six consecutive terms since 1956. So theoretically the PNM has had sufficient years to consolidate.

No other political party has the luxury of consecutive terms to permit building and consolidating. The closest to a consecutive term was the Basdeo Panday administration, which imploded early in its second term.

TT is not the only country where a collective error was made by a plurality of voters. The Muslin Brotherhood election victory in Egypt some dozen or so years ago and the election of Donald Trump in 2016 are but two such examples.

Now the citizens of TT are presented with a chance on Monday to correct the 2015 error, as was done in Egypt and will most likely be done in the US in November.

ASH MAHARAJ

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